Fulham v Barnsley match thoughts

[Young_Nudger]

This is practically the same team that got us to the playoffs last season, so what's happened?
Last season players were talked about as "high expectations of this lad", well he did nearly score today but thankfully Collins saved the "back pass", so what's happened?
The team seem to lack any sense of confidence, they don't seem to have the same stamina or any idea of what their job is. Sibbick was getting constantly over run with little help coming from Frieser. The midfield seemed not to be able to move the ball forward and only seemed to pass it back, any forward passes were misplaced or to the opposition. At one point we took a throw in and threw it straight out for a goal kick with no Barnsley player anywhere near it.
Hopefully the new boss Asbaghi can bring some resemblance of last seasons team back and restore a little pride.
I still think we're already relegated.

Agree with that.
You ask ……… This is practically the same team that got us to the playoffs last season, so what's happened?

Well IMO - it’s this.

At the beginning of this season (after the Morris injury) I wondered why the attributes of the Dike position (Target Striker) hadn’t been properly filled.
And then Khaled went and let the cat out of the bag by saying - the directors have imposed a playing style on the head coach.
The style of play from last season has more or less been abandoned.
Consequently the players are now looking bewildered at what their role is - and this is plainly evident.
Time after time for example - you see one of our players pick the ball up in midfield or near the opposition penalty area - and the other players just stand there looking at him.

And we now have a shambles of a defence?
Last season when the opposition had the ball the 3 strikers moved as a unit and Sibbick, Helik, Mads moved up and stood near the halfway line to squeeze the play.
That’s all gone.

Last season WAS NOT a one off - a team doesn’t win matches game after game after game for it to be just based on luck.
I still believe we have very good players - and a stronger squad this season than last.
That is except for one pivotal role - that most of the tactics going forward from last season was based on - target striker.

We won last season because the players fully understand what they had to do.
This season they don’t.
And that is a direct result of decisions made in the boardroom.
Directors wanted a transition in style - to move away from the direct approach to a more tippy tappy possession style of football.
That decision will probably get the club relegated.

The grand old duke of Conway - he had 11 or more good men - he marched them up to the top of the hill - and then he marched them down again.